Morning journal and courier., 1887-10-07
News by Telegraph
FROM ALL QUARTERS.
NO FUTURE PROBATION
So Decide The Ameri-
can Board.
A MHIRlWIND OF THEOLOGY.
Old And New Believers At
Variance.
mr.. CLEVELAND AT MILWAUKEE.
No Case Against Dub
Inns Lord Mayor.
NO PROBATION AFTER DEATH

|
American Board-A Field Day
Among: the TheologIans-The Old
and New Believers Have Some Live
Iy TiIts-Dr. Storrs the New Prest-
| dent of the Board.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, Oct. 6.-At the meet
ing of the American Board this morning the
committee on the Japan mission reported and
emphasized the danger during the present
crisis in that country of anyone introducing
unscripturaI speculation. A report was
made on missions in papal lands, in which
there was an encouraging account of the in
creased circulation of the Bible, interest in
schools and spirit of sacrifice among con-
velts. Emphasis was laid upon the impor-
lance of the reflex influence of those mis-
sions upon missionary work in the United
States. A majority report of the committee
on the report of the home secretary was pre-
sented by Prof. Roardman of Chicago. Five
of the committee constitute the majority and
Prof. George Fisher and President Buchanan
of the Vermont university the minority. A
summary is as follows:
| The majority report considered that the report
| under consideration affords much encouragement
to friends Of missions. Eighteen more missionaries
the past twelve years, seventy one names were
added to the list of missionaries, including those
| returning to the fields The finances not so
favorable as last year, the Sweet and Otis funds
TRe Of the board
part of its funds go to support error, and we
at Des Mones against the doctrine of future proba-
4 ton. The committee deserves high common
| work as they have followed instructions The
statements made by rejected candidates amply
siton at Des Moines and accepts the action of the
prudential committee 1t recommends to the
| provaI Of the doctrine of future probation. It
feeling of the majority of the committee that
Des Moines, but since the proper Interpretation of
that action has been called in question we affirm
that the action of tbs prudential committee is in
| harmony with that action.
| port regretted to differ from the majority He
agreed with the general statements OF the report
IL r anme and the iected AndoTer Students
l the minority differed The home secretary is
| committee and SO the question becomes a per
sonal ore. His course has excited widespread
| ton of the honored and lamented Alpheus Hardy
from the prudential committee Facts about the
rejected students that would modify the have
| been withheld In his zeal for putting down what
he deems dangerous error he has suppressed the
made to use the board a makeweight in theologi
cal controversy. The board not tribunal to de-
of doing this. The board should remember that it
is not representative body and be carefuI not to
| danger in making the board a close corporation:
| Candidates should
through intermediates. The prudential committee
should not be partisan.
It was moved to accept the majority re-
| port Professor Fisher moved that the mi
nority report be substituted. On this the
first great debate of the session began. The
Rev. Mr.. Cheever, of Worcester, urged, in
written speech, unity in essentials, liberty in
doubtful matters, and charity in all. 'The-
ology," he said, "needs resnaping from time
to time, and adjustment to that eternal
j loen I'D ell
our late large-minded president and not ex-
clude the new men from preaching the good
news in foreign lands. The committee de-
sire instructions. Let US give them such as
will favor unity, liberty and charity"
Professor Fisher said: 81 appreciate the
difficulties in our denomination in harmonic
our forces SO as to work in unity. We
ought to appreciate the arduous labors of the
committee, but there should not be an in
discriminate admiration of them. I have
no sympathy with any who seek to under
mine such fundamental doctrines as those of
the person of Christ"
Professor Boardman of Chicago, chairman
of tn committee making the report, held
that the board had something to do with
theology, for the board was established for
the evangelization of the world, and
members were selected because
good theology from bad theology.
He argued against the future probation doc
trine. The new departure, he said, squarely
involves the position that the main part of
Christ's work is not on earth, but after
death, since people die ignorant of him,
and harmony cannot be reached till that doc
trine is accepted again. Men cannot hold
the new theology without preaching it. Men
will act out the doctrine they believe. The
whole new theology is a development of the
theory Of divine love and involves the restor
alton of all mankind. It is a theory of ra-
A. OF l,aa oE%6 aP
question of human sin. Rationalizing had
better keep quiet and hear what
the Bible says. They say that saliva
ton is not by pardon, but by re-
straint from committing the unpardona-
BILE sin. Christ is thus not redeemer and
reach sin against himself. DR.. Boardman
had no question that the progressives desired
the salvation of the heather as much as the
conservatives, but they were at war with
sound theology.
Rev. DR.. Parker, of Hartford, said the pro-
gressives had been misrepresented. Not
man had presented himself to the board hold
| ing the views attributed by DR.. Boardman.
The simple question is whether the board
shall bind itself to reject in all cases candi-
dates who cannot affirm the doctrine that
| probation ends for all men at death. He
would not send out a man who would preach
| future probation, but he would send out one
| who was not clear about it if in other
spects he was desirable. Very few men hold
| the doctrine positively, but feel uncertain
| about it. Harmony is wanted. and men who
stand where he stands do not want to be
| thrown out.
DR.. Taylor, of New York, could not see
| how anyone holding the doctrine of future
| probation could go as a missionary. The
Bible addresses all men as sinners and names
the condition of their pardon'hs repentance.
| The ancestors of the heather could not have
4 q tr1rOh
| ton for them after death. AS to the doc
| trine of future probation being vindication
of the character of God the vindication i'm
| plies blame, and what man will undertake to
blame God. Light is the measure of respon-
| sibility. Wherever there is going against
| light there is sin, and wherever there is sin
| there is condemnation. Again, tendencies
are stronger than the individual. The disci-
pies of future probation will go further than
their teachers. The path goes toward de-
NAL of the authority of the Bible. He would
| go on with the prudential committee as in
/ the past, for in seventy-fve years they have
proven untrustworthy. Is
The Rev George L. Walker, of Hartford,
said he stood in middle position. He re-
GREETED that for two years the meeting had
been perverted to be theological debating
society. He represented the old school views
in theology, but the new departure men were
i not responsible for the change in the charac
ter of the meetings. Three years ago at
Portland a sermon was preached, intended
to tone up the theology of the board, and it
has been kept up since. He quoted DIR.
Mark Hopkins that the board had been used
as makeweight to uphold the theology of
the prudential COMMITTEES. The new theolo-
gy, ne said, has been greatly misrepresent-
ed. The doctrine of future probation is
as old as the second century. 1t has been
held hy the purest and noblest fathers of the
church, and is held by the leading members
of the church in England and Germany to-
day who have done most for thirty years 10
roll back the tide of German in6delity. The
views of DR.. Taylor were not the views of the
founders of the board. He was as far from
them as the new departure is. To-day is the
time of new agitation. For fifty years tive
theological institutions in Connecticut have
stood shaking their fists at each other in 9
Christian way, yet the board has accepted
| men from both to send common gospel to q
| heather world - =
/ When he had finished recess was taken
Notwithstanding the late Adjournment o.
fthe forenoon. meeting which was nearly hall
l an hour late. at o. m. every seat and incl